Starting device



March 17, 1942. H. o. MADDox STARTING DEVICE Filed Deo. 6, 1 940 3Sheets-Sheet l March 17, l1942. H. o. MADDox STARTING DEVICE FiledDec.6, 1940 3 Sheets-Shee 2 Inventor #any a /VzQ//ax f By AMarch 17, 1942.H, Q MADDox STARTING DEVICE s sheets-sheet s Filed Dec. 6, 1940 InventorH6270/ (174102K n By M Attorney '.III

Patented Mar. l?, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STARTING DEVICE Henryo. Maddox, Luling, Tex. Application December 6, 1940, Serial No. 368,946

2 Claims. (Cl. 11B-15.5)

This invention relates to a starting device especially adapted for usein animal roping or lassoing contests and relates more particularly tostarting stalls whereby the horse and rider as well as the animal to beroped or lassoed may be released in accordance with set rules for aroping or lassoing contest. The primary object of the invention is theprovision of a device of the above stated character which may be readilyset up for use and will provide an elevated platform for the starter orreferee and a starting stall for the animal or steer and a secondstarting stall for the horse and rider and a release means for saidstalls operated by the starter or referee from said platform so that theanimal or steer may be at a given place and free to act at will when thehorse and rider is released from the stall in accordance with the rulesof the roping or lassoing contest and thereby eliminate disputesfrequently caused by the horse or rider starting in the contest prior tothe steer reaching a given place and being free to act at 4 will.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel featuresof construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will behereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure lis a top plan vieW illustrating a starting device constructed inaccordance with my invention.

Figure 2. is an end elevation of the device showing the self-,openingdoors and the latch means therefor.

Figure 3 is a front elevation illustrating one of the doors.

Figure 4 is a side elevation showing a portion of the device and thedoor control means mounted thereon.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the door control means.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating one of the doorsand the latch means therefor.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional View illustrating the latch meansfor the other door.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates a startingdevice consisting of stalls 6 and I and a partly confined area 8.

To form the stalls 6 and 'I as well as the area 8 fence sections 9, I0and II are provided.` The 55 fence sections Ill and II cooperate indefining the area 8 as well as the stall l, the exit of which isindicated by the character I2 controlled by a self-opening gate I3. Thefence sections 9 and I0 denne the stall 6, the exit of which isindicated by the character I4 and said exitv is controlled by aself-opening hinged gate I5. The animal or steer used inthe ropingcontest is placed or corralled in the stall 6 and may be driven thereinby way of the entrance I6 which must be guarded by an attendant when theanimal or steer is occupying the stall 6.

The stall 'I accommodates the horse and rider. Entrance to the stall 'Imay be by way of the rear end thereof indicated by the character I1.

By referring to Figure l it will be seen that the exit I4 of the stall 6is arranged in advance to the exit I2 of the stall 'I so that the animalor steer may leave the stall E and be free to act at will before it ispossible for the horse and rider to arrive in the vicinity of the animalor steer due to the fact that the horse andrider must pass through thearea 8 before reaching a point opposite the exit to the stall 6.

A platform I8 is arranged upon the fence sections 9 and I0 above theexit I4 on which the referee or starter may stand and have clear View ofboth of the exits of said stalls as well as the playing field.

A spring influenced slidable latch bolt I9 is provided for securing thegate I3 in a closed position. A combined treadle and latch element 2D ispivotally mounted on the platform and acts to secure the gate I5 in aclosed position.

An operating rod 22 is journaled on the fence section ID and parallelsthe latter and is provided with angularly disposed extremities 23, oneof which is pivotally connected to the latch bolt I9, as shown at 24,and the other is pivotally connected to a rod 25 slidably mounted on thefence section I0 by extending through an opening provided in theplatform I3 and terminating in a right angularly disposed extension 26.

The extension 26 underlies the combined treadle and latch 28 so thatwhen the latter is depressed the operating shaft 22 will be rotated toretract the latch bolt I9 to free the gate I3 and at the same timerelease the gate I5. Thus it will be seen that both gates are under thecontrol of the starter or referee standing upon the platform I8.

An auxiliary fence section 26 is arranged in. the stall 6 adjacent thefence section II) to prevent the animal in the stall 6 from interferingor contacting with the operating rod 22,

To reduce the area within the stall 'I over that provided by the fencesections I and II, auxiliary fence sections 21 are provided havingconnection with the fence sections I and II by wall sections 28. One ofthe wall sections 28 provides a support for the slidable springinfluenced latch bolt I9, while the other wall section provides amounting for the gate I3, the hinges thereof being indicated by thecharacter 3D. A coil spring 3| is connected to the gate I3 and to thefence section II for urging the gate into an open position. The gate I3swings about a vertical axis, while the gate I5 swings about ahorizontal axis. A coil spring 32 is connected to the gate I5 and to atie rod 33 connecting the fence sections 9 and Ill and located above theexit I4.

The gate I5 has pintles 312i arranged substantially intermediate itsends and which are received in journals 35 carried by the forward endsof the fence sections 9 and Ill. A stop 36 is provided for limiting themovement of the gate I5 beyond a horizontal position when released froma closed position under the action of the spring 32.

In use, a steer or animal is driven into the stall 6, while the riderand horse takes a position Within the stall I. The referee or starterthen may depress the treadle `20 at any desired time which may beselected which permits both gates to open so that the animal or steermay be driven from the stall 6 and reach a given point of freedom foraction at will before the horse and rider may traverse the area 8 whichis in accordance with rules speciiied for roping or lassoing contests.If the horse or pony becomes unruly then it can be released from the pen'I by the referee pressing downwardly the member 25 through means of thebent part 26. This will release the latch I9 so that the gate I2 canopen but the gate I5 remains closed so that the calf cannot escape.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction,combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a starting device for roping contests, a

pair of stalls, one stall being arranged in advance of the other and toone side of said other stall, each stall having an exit opening in itsfront end, the advance stall being adapted to receive the animal to beroped and the rear stall the horse and roper, self opening gates forsaid exits, an elevated platform on the first stall adjacent the frontend thereof for a starter, latch means for each gate and means forreleasing the latch means simultaneously from the platform, or forreleasing one latch means without releasing the other, said meansincluding a horizontally arranged rod connected to a side of the firststall having its rear end bent and pivoted to the latch meansof the rearstall, the front end of the rod being bent, a vertically extending rodat the front end of the rst stall having its lower end pivoted to the'front bent end of the rst rod with its upper end passing through theplatform and terminating in a horizontal portion and the latch of thefirst stall having a horizontal part passing over the horizontal part ofthe upper end of the vertical rod for depressing the vertical rod whenthe horizontal part of the latch means of the first pen is depressed toopen the gate of the rst stall, the horizontal part of the vertical rodacting as a handle for moving the rod downwardly to release the latchmeans of the gate of the rear stall.

2. A starting device for roping contests comprising three parallel fencesections, the rst and second sections being spaced apart to form thefirst stall and the second and third sections being spaced a greaterdistance apart, means connected with the rear ends of the second andthird sections for forming a second stall which opens out into the spacebetween the front portions of the second and third sections, a selfopening gate for the exit of each stall, a platform on the top of thefront portion of the first stall for a starter, latch means for eachgate and means on the platform for releasing both latch meanssimultaneously or for opening the latch means of the gate of the secondstall without opening the latch means of the gate of the i'lrst stall.

HENRY O. MADDOX.

